Feb 6, 2011

A hearty bowl of this chicken and pasta will fill your tummy and warm your soul. This dish is somewhere between a soup and a stew, the flavors reminiscent of my Dad's chicken and dumplings I grew up eating. You may want to set your table with spoons AND forks!

Cavatellis are Italian pastas, sometimes made with ricotta, sometimes without. The ones made with ricotta are sold frozen in some supermarkets or Italian specialty stores. I realize living in New York, finding Italian delis are like finding banks, we have them everywhere. If this is not common in your neighborhood, you can use orecchiette or noodles instead or even homemade spaetzle would be great.

There is a lot more liquid when you first make this, it's more like a soup. But as it sits, it thickens, and the pasta absorbs the liquid. This photo was actually taken the next day when I reheated it for lunch. One bowl is very satisfying, even for my husband who has a hearty appetite.

White meat lovers, you can replace the thighs with 4 breast halves but you'll have to cook it for less time. Let the soup simmer 15 minutes without the chicken, then cook 15 more minutes with the chicken, remove chicken after 15 minutes, cut or shred, then add back to pot when you add the pasta. (7 points+)

Hi lady! This looks so good! (as does literally EVERYTHING you post). I wanted to tell you I was hanging out with a friend of mine recently that lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers and she mentioned your blog and called it her "Bible". I was like "I know her!" hahaha :)

hmmmm this really does look VERY good. I will need to check this one out in MY kitchen. I'm thinking that even my picky eaters here would like this one. Especially as winter seems to drag on here in the Northeast.

I am officially down 50 pounds since May 18th 2010 and I would have not been able to do it without you. I recommend your site to all my friends and the folks in my Weight Watchers class but even to friends who are just trying to cut back. You provide a great service and thank you sooooo much.

Gina, this looks so warm, comforting and flavorful. I would love to dig into a soup like this while it's still cold outside. Thanks for sharing this! I'll have to try it soon. All of your recipes are just fantastic!

This was absolutely the BEST homemade chicken soup I've ever made...and possibly ever had! The chicken thighs just make this! The seasoning and flavor were just wonderful. My 4 year old and I had a FAB lunch today. I made this with no yolks egg noodles due to personal preference and just added the pasta to each individual bowl. Gina...your recipes are unbelievable! This will be my go-to from now on!

This was delicious. My husband makes a delicious chicken soup but it 1-2 days to make. I was amazed that I was able to make this in such a short period of time and the flavors were amazing. I pre-cooked the chicken first and I cooked the pasta with the soup. All the flavors melded together quite nicely. Thanks for a great recipe Gina!

My fiance made this last night with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It is AMAZING. Just the right amount of flavoring. Your recipes are simply divine! Thank you so much for sharing - you make losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle delicious!

I cant rave about your website enough! I have lost over 36 lbs on Weight Watchers and am less than 5 lbs from my goal! Question- how much salt and pepper do you suggest to start out with? After my 1st time of making a recipe, I then can adjust but just wondering how much you suggest vs to taste?

I was looking for a 'chicken-less' chicken soup and used this recipe to adapt it for my needs....came out PERFECT. I used all the same measurements/ingredients, except instead of chicken I threw in a 1/2 can of white beans and added some chopped kale and fresh cooked corn off the cob. It was amazing. I have become a huge SkinnyTaste fan....you are my go to site for recipes now. Thank you!

Luscious02, thanks for the idea of using beans and corn instead of chicken! Often times I am off meat and this sounds like a good substitute. Gina, do you know if anyone was ever successful in making this in the crockpot? And I will thank you once again for your wonderful recipes. Many have become my "normal" everyday recipes. So much healthier, and I have my friends and my daughter coking the Skinnytaste way as well!

This is my new go to meal every week for the last month!!! Nothing like an amazing bowl of chicken soup/stew to take the chill off your bones when the weather begins to change for real. I have added sprigs of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme for an extra aromatic effect. I often bring this to work for lunch and must add a little extra for all the spoons that get plunged into my bowl since the aroma is simply irresistible to my coworkers! Oh, and I lost 6 lbs without trying! Thanks girl!!!

I see that 2 thighs are in a serving but how many cups of broth & cavatelli in a serving? I'm not too good trying to eyeball 5 servings of it although I guess I can measure it by cups into a bowl to figure it out.

This soup is so good; I am soup-challenged, and seldom make soup because it never seems as flavorful as I would like…... but this soup is easy, simple and very flavorful. I made some for a sick friend and she loved it. The cavatelli is more like a dumpling than a noodle; thick and delicious!